The Cat, the Dog and The Snake
by LizzyEvans98
Summary: AU. Set in Grimmauld Place, summer before Harry's 5th year at Hogwarts. When Harry stumbles upon a mysterious diary, he finds it contains memories of a young woman, Victoria McNealy, that can be played like a movie. The memories explain Sirius's bad mood, Victoria's complicated life, and a softer side of Lord Voldemort that makes everyone rather uncomfortable.
1. Chapter 1: A Leather Diary

Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own Harry Potter, otherwise I'd be a billionaire. The characters belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 1

Ever since he'd arrived at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Harry had been busy cleaning up the dusty townhouse. Mrs. Weasley had made sure to keep everyone busy with one task or another. The last time Harry had cleaned this much was when he had accidently broken Aunt Petunia's lamp when he was eight, and his aunt had made him scrub the garage.

The attic was definitely the dirtiest place in the entire house. Harry, Hermione and the Weasley kids had been cleaning it since the morning, and it still hadn't made a difference.

"Achoo," Harry sneezed rather loudly as he dusted the mouldy deep red velvet curtains. Ron laughed at Harry's ungraceful sneeze, earning him a dirty look from his green eyed best friend. Turning around, Harry angrily tugged at the curtains. Something moved against his right foot. Looking down, Harry found a wooden box hiding behind the curtains.

When he picked it up, Harry felt something shift inside the box as he examined it from side to side. The box was made of a dark brown wood, and it was, like everything else in the house, covered in layers of grey dirt.

"Be careful with that!" Hermione warned. She came behind Harry to look over his shoulder at the box. "It might be cursed. Or have something awful inside it."

"All the more reason to open it then," George came over, abandoning the lamp he was cleaning.

"Go on then, lets see what's inside it," Fred nudged Harry with his elbow. Ginny and Ron too seem interested in the mysterious box. Hermione bit her lip nervously, clearly disagreeing with everybody else. Harry looked away from Hermione, not wanting her to make him feel guilty for what he was about to do.

Harry slid the top of the box to the right, and held his breath. He swallowed nervously, then looked up at his friends. His gaze, of its own accord, landed on Ginny.

"It's…a diary," Harry finished lamely. Hermione and the Weasleys exchanged a nervous look.

"Harry…," Hermione began in a warning voice.

"I know, I know," Harry replied, shutting the box close once again. A part of him wanted to grab the diary and read it. But then he remembered what had happened the last time a mysterious diary had found its way to him. It had belonged to Voldemort, the evillest and darkest wizard in a century. The group decided it best to hand over the box to an adult.

* * *

After Mr. Weasley had thoroughly examined the diary, spending several minutes poking it with his wand as he muttered incantation after incantation, he had come to the conclusion that there was nothing alarming about the book. The red haired man handed Harry the wooden box containing the diary, much to his wife's displeasure, who still thought it to be dangerous.

The Weasley clan, Harry, Hermione along with Sirius, Remus and Hestia Jones were seated around the long table in the basement kitchen. Harry looked to his godfather, who was sitting one arm thrown over the back of his chair. He was leaning back on the chair's back legs, with a bored expression on his face. Harry got the impression Sirius would rather be anywhere else than here in this moment, debating the dangerousness of a diary.

Ignoring his godfather's dim mood, Harry eagerly accepted the box and opened it once more. Inside was the brown leather diary, bound by leather strings of the same colour. His previous experience with diaries made him wary. Nevertheless, curiosity won him over. Picking up, he turned the diary over. In faded golden letters, the brown leather was engraved with Victoria McNealy. He had never heard that name before.

"Victoria McNealy", Harry called out loud. He heard a sharp intake of breath to his left. Looking up, he found his godfather staring at the diary as if he were seeing it for the first time.

Sirius reached out for the diary, and harry handed it to him, before asking, "did you know her?"

But Sirius ignored him. He fingered the golden letter of Victoria's name as if he were caressing a loved one. Confused, Harry sought out Remus for clarification.

"McNealy? Didn't she disappear shortly before You Now Who's demise?" Hestia Jones asked.

Harry turned to Jones, now frustrated with his father's best friends. "Did _you_ know her?"

"Of course. We went to school together."

"There must be something in that diary. Why else would it appear out of nowhere?" Hermione wondered from the corner of the kitchen. She absentmindedly rubbed Crookshanks orange fur.

"Well there's only one way to find out," Harry held out his hand for to retrieve the diary from Sirius, who had been staring at it all the while. Reluctantly, Sirius handed the book back to him. Harry unwrapped the leather strings impatiently, setting them aside on the dining table. He opened the diary to a blank page.

Sighing, he flipped through the diary but found it to be completely bare of words. "There's nothing in it." Harry explained unnecessarily.

"Maybe its like You-Know-Who's diary. You have to write stuff in order for it reveal its content," Suggested Ginny. She left the kitchen, and was back a few minutes later with a bottle of ink and a quill. She handed the items to Harry, who dipped the wooden quill in the black ink before bringing it over to the diary.

On a crisp white page, he wrote, as he had done so many years ago: _Hello, my name is Harry Potter_. Harry held his breath while he waited for the diary to absorb the ink and reply. But nothing happened. His scrawny writing remained as it was.

Huffing, Harry threw the quill down on the table. Pushing back his chair, Harry got up and moved away.

"It's nothing but an empty diary." He exclaimed angrily.

"It's not empty," a quiet deep voice answered. Sirius had finally spoken. "Its not empty," he repeated. "She always wrote in it." He explained, also confirming that he knew this Victoria.

"She wouldn't have wanted just anyone to know its secrets. She must have charmed it." At this point, Harry wasn't sure whether Sirius was talking to him or to himself.

Sirius drew out his wand from his pocket and walked over to the abandoned diary. He pointed his wand at the bare pages, and said in a clear voice, _"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good"_.

As soon as Sirius had finished his Marauder incantation, a screen of bright light had suddenly erupted from the margins of the diary. The large screen reminded Harry of a cinema. Not that he had ever been to one, the Dursleys had made sure of that. But he had seen it in movies and TV shows.

Soon enough, the bright screen of light was now glowing with colours. A picture had appeared on it. A moving picture.

"Oh, it's like a film," Hermione exclaimed excitedly.

"A what?" Almost everyone in the kitchen asked in unison.

"A film. It's like uh-a collection of…moving pictures. Muggles use it to tell a story." Hermione went to rotate the diary on the table so that everyone could get a proper view of the movie screen.

Harry had no idea what was happening. But like everyone else, he went along. Grabbing a seat next to George…or Fred, he sat down. On the screen, a middle aged man with dark hair was wrapping some books in parchment for his customer. He stood behind a cash register in a large book store. Harry watched as the customer, a young boy, handed the man muggle money.


	2. Chapter 2: A Magnificent Castle

Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own Harry Potter, otherwise I'd be a billionaire. The characters belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 2

Victoria stood outside the bookstore, and looked through the window at her father as he wrapped someone's books in yellow paper. She knew this store. Every nook. Every corner. She had dusted the wooden shelves a hundred times. She had laid books upon books in those shelves. She knew what it was like to punch numbers on that cash register. She knew how it stung when you cut yourself with the paper while wrapping somebody's books.

It was September 1st, which meant Victoria was leaving for Hogwarts in a few hours. She couldn't help herself but see her family one last time before she left for almost a year. As the customer moved, Victoria's gaze moved from watching her father to her own reflection. She had her father's raven hair, but her eyes were brown like her grandmother.

Gathering some courage, Victoria fisted the door handle in her right hand and pulled the glass door open. She heard a familiar chime just as the door closed after her. Her father looked up from his work, and glanced at her. He smiled good naturedly.

"How urr ye daein' th'day?" Her father smiled as he asked her, but his eyes lacked the warmth they had once held for her. How could they, when they had no recollection of her. She opened her mouth to say something, but she choked on the words.

The next thing she knew, she was running down the cobbled street of Stonehaven, her hometown, that lied just a couple hours away from Edinburgh. Victoria brushed the tears away from her cheeks as she came to a rest at metal bench.

Voldemort was becoming stronger, and his forces were spreading day after day. The Daily Prophet was crammed with stories about the terrible things the Dark Lord and his followers were doing to Muggles, Muggleborns and their families. Victoria couldn't risk anything happening to her parents or her little brother. So she had kept them a secret.

She had lied about her birth from first year. Telling people, she was half-blood, witch from her mother's side, so no one would go digging up her last name. But it was the Christmas during sixth year when she had realized that the only way to protect her muggle family was to hide it. She had erased their memories of her. As far as the McNealys were concerned, they only had a 14-year-old son, Collin.

* * *

Victoria held out her wand her in front of her, and waited for the purple bus to arrive. Unlike her schoolmates, Victoria didn't take the Hogwarts Express from London. Instead she rode the Knight Bus to Hogsmede.

* * *

Victoria looked up at the magnificent castle before her. She wondered if she would ever get used to its beauty and magic. Clearly six years hadn't been enough. Victoria sighed sadly when she realized this was her last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Victoria struggled to lug her trunk and broomstick behind her, too heavy and large for her small frame.

She panted after finally entering the Entrance Hall. She left her items there, where soon they will be joined by other trunks, cages and broomsticks. She cursed herself after realizing that she was a witch, and could have levitated her luggage instead. After two months of living among muggles, she often forgot about magic. Kind of like how your hand aches from writing after summer vacation.

She made a beeline for the girl's bathroom to check her appearance in the mirror. The castle was eerily quiet and she didn't know whether she liked it. After fixing her hair and robes, Victoria adjusted the emerald and silver tie knotted around her collar.

* * *

"She's a Slytherine?!" Ron asked incredulously. He had a sour expression on his face, as if he'd sucked on a lemon. Remus nodded to answer Ron's question. Harry could tell, that like Ron, they were all shocked to discover Victoria belonged to the snake house. After all, everyone sitting at the dining table was or had been a Gryffindor. And Gryffindors didn't particularly like their ambitious and cunning school mates.

When he turned back to the screen, Harry saw Victoria standing in the Great Hall, which was now filled with students. They had missed a few minutes of the "film", and Harry wondered if there was a way to rewind or pause it.

Harry watched as Victoria opened her arms to hug a tall, dark haired boy. She smiled up at him, and Harry finally saw his face. For a minute Harry thought it was Sirius. He had the same dark hair and haughty look of Harry's beloved godfather, but the emerald and silver tie around his neck suggested he was a Slytherine.

"That's Regulus, Sirius' younger brother." Remus explained. He looked at Sirius as he said so, but Sirius continued to stare at the screen. His eyes had been riveted at the film, as if he was he was trying to capture every detail of it.

* * *

Victoria smiled at Regulus as she hugged him. "Had a good summer?" She asked as they sat on adjacent stools at the Slytherine table.

"Aye, aye captain," Regulus grinned, flashing a set of slightly crooked teeth at Victoria. "So…have you come up with any strategies on how we're gonna win the Quidditch Cup?"

As the new Slytherine Quidditch team captain, Victoria had expected to be bombarded with questions and suggestions upon her return to Hogwarts. Her house took Quidditch very seriously. Especially now, when Gryffindor, their arch nemesis was in the lead.

"Yes, but this is no place or time to discuss them," Victoria nodded her head towards the group of Ravenclaws standing just feet from where she and Regulus were sitting. Regulus nodded in understanding and winked at his captain.

Smiling, Victoria looked over her shoulder at the Gryffindor table. Her gaze landed on a boy very similar to the one sitting beside her. Sirius laughed at something the blonde girl sitting next to him said. Victoria recognized her as Mary McDonald. He picked up a string of grapes and dangled it above Mary's mouth. As she reached to grab a grape with her teeth, he moved the string away. Teasing her. She pouted mockingly, and he laughed.

As if sensing he was being watched, Sirius turned his head, and his eyes locked with Victoria's for just a brief moment. He flashed a cocky grin at her. Clenching her jaw, Victoria turned her attention back to her housemates.


	3. Chapter 3: A Broom Closet

Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own Harry Potter, otherwise I'd be a billionaire. The characters belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 3

McGonagall paced in front of the seventh year students taking her N.E.W.T. Transfiguration class. She explained how important and difficult this year was going to be. Once she'd gone over the technical details, she moved on to actual classwork.

"Now then, can anyone tell me what is meant by Trans-species transformation?" McGonagall asked, looking expectantly at her students. Mary McDonald raised her hand. This give Victoria an idea. She crossed her arms, and held her wand in her hand casually. She looked at McGonagall, even as she non-verbally cast her spell at Mary.

"It means the organism…," Mary began but stopped after realizing her voice was extremely squeaky. Clearing her throat, she started, "the organism changes-

She stopped once again, as the class erupted in laughter over her silly voice. She held her throat and looked around wildly. "I don't understand…" she tried to speak but her words were cut off by her classmates' laughter.

"That's enough," McGonagall warned sternly. She waved her wand, and counter acted Victoria's spell with a whish. "Please continue," she said as she cast a dark scowl at the back of the classroom-where James and Sirius were sitting. Her professor had assumed the Marauder duo to be the culprit.

"Ahem. Trans-species transformation changes an organism into a new species. It can a partial switch or a complete one." Mary finally finished her sentence. McGonagall had gotten the class back on track in a few minutes. As she continued her lecture, Victoria glanced back in Sirius' direction, who shook her head at her.

* * *

Victoria was walking down the wide, stone hallway, on her way to the Great Hall for dinner. It was then, as she passed the portrait of the mother and child, that she heard footsteps behind her. She looked over her shoulder to find Sirius Black approaching her. His hands were in his pockets, and his robes were flowing behind him like a cape. He swaggered his way to her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He looked like a panther, out for a prowl. He stopped when he was just a few feet away from her.

"A squeaky voice? Really? _That's_ your move?" He asked quietly. Victoria sensed mock pity in his voice.

"That's child's play. I've pranked better than that in first year," He continued to boast, in that arrogant manner of his. His hair fell gracefully to his collar. The stark contrast between the collar of his crisp, white shirt and his dark hair was mesmerizing. Somehow, he looked better than Victoria remembered.

"I suppose…anyone would fall short on their pranking skills…next to a Marauder…," Victoria admitted in a low voice. She took a step toward Sirius with every word she muttered. Not being able to resist herself any longer, Victoria reached out and placed both her hands on Sirius' chest. She felt his hear beat quicken under her right palm. She continued boring into his grey eyes as she slowly travelled her hands over his body, and locked them behind his neck.

Flashing a cocky grin at her, Sirius brought his head down to hers and kissed her lightly. His lips were soft, but they moved firmly against hers. She held his top lip in both of hers, and sucked gently. He groaned in her mouth as his arms snaked around her waist.

Victoria pushed him into the broom closet to her right. Her hands were in his hair. She tugged on the long stands, prompting him to cup her head in his hands to deepen the kiss. Victoria managed to pull away. She touched her swollen lips as she backed out of the closet. Sirius leaned against the back of the closet, and watched her curiously.

She smiled sweetly at him before shutting the door behind him. He laughed. Or barked…?

" _This_ is my move," Victoria informed him through the wooden door. She pulled out her wand, pointed at the key hole and locked it. She reached into her pocket and retrieved the key she'd stolen, no cross that, _borrowed_ from Hagrid after breakfast. And hung it around the door knob. She heard Sirius shuffle through the door. A moment later, she heard him curse. He'd undoubtedly used the _Alohamora_ charm to unlock the door, and failed, as Victoria had planned. The closet door could only be opened with its key, from the outside.

Smirking, she walked away. Sirius banged on the door, and yelled something after her.

* * *

"Women!" Fred huffed in Harry's ear. He leaned forward and whispered, "they always use their sexuality to manipulate us." Harry sniggered. When he turned back to the screen, he caught his breath. He watched as his father, James, said something to a young Remus on screen.

James really did look like Harry, except his nose was a bit longer. And of course, his eyes were hazel.

* * *

James was sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, wondering where his best friend was. He turned to Remus, and asked, "Where the bloody hell is Padfoot?"

"He's probably with some bird," Peter ventured from across James.

"Sirius would never give up food for a girl." Remus informed his stumpy friend. He watched as James pulled a large piece of parchment from his pocket. He held the parchment under the table, away from privy eyes and tapped it with his wand. James searched the Marauder's map for his friend, and easily found him since Sirius was the only one not in the Great Hall at that moment.

"What's he doing in a broom closet?" James looked up and asked his friends.

"Told you, he was with a girl," Peter reiterated with pride.

"He's alone."

"Well, maybe he was-

"Shut it Wormtail," James got up and stuffed the map back in his pocket. He looked at his friends and raised his brows, as if to ask whether they were coming. Sighing, Remus got up and pulled a reluctant Peter up with him.

"Don't worry. We'll grab something from the kitchens later." James reassured Peter, who seemed on the verge of tears for being forced to abandon food. When they reached the broom closet where Sirius was, James rapped on the door.

"Oye, what are you doing _here_?"

"James! Get me outta here," Sirius had never been so relived to hear his best friend's voice before. James grabbed the keep dangling from the knob and inserted it into the key hole. As he turned he key, he heard a click. Slowly, he turned the knob and pulled the door open. He found a red faced Sirius staring back at him.

Without any explanation, Sirius stormed out of the closet and started striding down the hallway like a man with a purpose. His best friends stared after him. After sharing a worried and very confused glance, they took up after Sirius.

"Seriously, what in Merlin's name is going on?" James asked once he'd reached Sirius' side.

"Bloody Slytherines!" Sirius lashed out angrily.

"Slytherines did this?" Remus asked, now slightly panting from walking so fast. Peter struggled to keep up with them, and Remus heard him breath heavily behind them. "Which Slytherines exactly?"

Sirius briefly haltered. He couldn't tell his friends Victoria had locked him up. They'd want to know why. And then he'd have to explain his complicated relationship to them. They had reached the Great Hall now. As they passed Lily Evans, she looked up at them and narrowed her eyes. Probably believing, like everyone else, that they were up to something.

As Sirius took a seat at his house table, he searched for Victoria across the hall. What he saw fueled his anger further. She was sitting next to Avery, and laughing heartily at something he'd said. She raised her right hand and lightly slapped Avery on his chest.

"Sirius!" Remus's voice caught his attention, and he faced his worried friend. "Who locked you up?" He repeated. Sirius turned back to look at Victoria, and only one name came to his mind.

"Avery."


	4. Chapter 4: A Secret Room

Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own Harry Potter, otherwise I'd be a billionaire. The characters belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 4

As Victoria had suspected, Sirius had gotten his revenge on Avery before lunch the next day. Victoria had always found Avery extremely annoying. She wasn't proud, but using him had not only made Sirius jealous, but also inflicted Marauders' wrath on him. Killing two birds with one stone. Now that was the kind of Arithmancy Victoria liked to do.

Now, on the Quidditch pitch, Victoria watched Regulus fly above her, looking for the Golden Snitch. It was their first practise of the term, and it couldn't have come sooner. There was no feeling like soaring through the skies on a good broomstick. Victoria relished the cool breeze in her hair, the _whoosh_ of air in her ears, and the adrenaline rush she got as she went for a dive. Quidditch was perhaps Victoria's favourite thing about the wizarding world. And it meant even more this year, since she was the captain of her house team.

As the sun dipped in the horizon, Victoria blew her whistle and motioned for her team to come back down to earth.

"We are a good team, I know it. But if we want to win the Quidditch Cup, we're going to have to do better." She informed her team as they stood in a circle around her in the change rooms.

"I want you to practice at least twice a week," she said as she looked to Valerie, the newest addition to the Slytherine team, who played Keeper. "You and Regulus are probably the most important players. Which means, you're also the opposing team's favourite targets."

"Of course, Greengrass and I will always be there to protect you from Bludgers," Victoria went on, nodding her head towards the burly sixth year, "But you need to practice deflecting them on your own." She looked around at her teammates, and when they had no questions, she nodded and headed back to her dorm in the dungeons.

As she reached the Entrance Hall, however, she changed her mind, and headed for the seventh floor instead. When she reached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, she walked past the area across the tapestry three times, as she thought of a bedroom.

To her left, a door emerged in the wall. She pushed it open and entered a large bedroom. It was warm and cozy, with a blazing fire in the hearth. Two arms chairs faced the fireplace. Across the door, there was a large four poster bed, situated next to a window that overlooked The Great Lake.

The room was just as she had imagined it. She'd come across it in fifth year, feeling incredibly homesick and alone. Being a muggleborn in Slytherine house was no walk in the park. Victoria was constantly surrounded by people who despised or at the very least did not like her kind. Even Regulus, who she was fond of, believed in Pure Blood supremacy. So she often sought refuge in this room, which reminded her so much of her parents' bedroom all the way in Stonehaven.

She heard the door creak and turned around quickly. She held her wand out, ready for attack.

"Relax woman, it's just me." Sirius held out his arms as he entered the dimly lit bedroom. He had abandoned his school uniform for a pair of lounging robes. Cool and relaxed, he looked utterly delectable. Victoria had shared the details about this room with him only last week, when sneaking around broom closets and empty classrooms had become too taxing. She'd made him promise not to tell his friends-although she did not trust him to honour that promise-as she'd wanted this room to be their own little secret.

Sirius walked over to her and put his hands on her hips. He walked his fingers lightly under her shirt and pulled her towards him. She reached out a hand to caress his cheek, then pulled his face down and kissed him on the mouth. She snaked both her arms behind his neck and went on her tip toes to deepen the kiss. His hands travelled down her back and cupped her buttocks. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he walked them over to the bed. He dropped her on the soft mattress and laid down on top of her. With her tongue, she massaged the roof of his mouth, and she heard him growl in hers. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, he pulled it over hear head, exposing her breasts-

* * *

"Alright, there's no need to see that," Sirius got up from his chair so fast, it toppled backwards. He reached for the diary lying on the table and shut it with a thud as the screen disappeared. Flushed, he looked around nervously. Harry had a very disgusted look on his face, which Sirius understood. Nobody wanted to watch their godfather have sex.

After several minutes of awkward silence had passed, Sirius opened the leather diary once again. On the screen, he found a younger, shirtless version of himself lying on a magnificent bed.

* * *

Victoria curled up next to Sirius and put her head on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her bare back as he continued to stare at the ceiling.

"You've grown taller," Victoria mused quietly. she tapped his chin with her index finger, "It's not fair, since I stopped growing in fourth year." She pouted up at him. He gave her a sweet smile.

"You know who else has grown? Regulus. Not as tall as you, of course, but still…" she continued in an even lower voice. She felt him flinch at the mention of his younger brother's name, but that didn't stop her. "Have you talked to him? Since coming back to school?"

"No." Sirius replied tightly.

"Hmm. I heard your dad's sick."

"I don't care." His voice cracked, betraying his words. Sirius got up and pulled on his shirt.

"Sirius, don't go." Victoria pleaded with him to stay. It was always like this. Whenever she challenged him to talk about something that was not his forte, i.e. feelings or his family, he would get angry, and leave without hesitation. "I wont talk about your family," Victoria promised him.

Once she'd convinced him to lie back on the bed, she asked casually, "So…how are things between Potter and that Evans girl?" Sirius threw a suspicious look at her. But answered anyway.

"They're alright. Friendly even. I suppose working together as Head Boy and Head Girl has helped her see a different side of him."

"Hmm. That must be difficult for him. Potter I mean. How he juggles being a Head Boy, a Quidditch captain and a Marauder is beyond me."

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

"You always assume I have evil intentions just because I'm a Slytherine." Victoria retorted, raising her chin. Although not evil, her intentions weren't pure per se either. She had been gathering intel on the all the Quidditch captains so she could formulate a plan to use it against them. With almost no genuine friends, or a family, Quidditch was all Victoria had. Winning that Cup was the only thing keeping her sane. So she had no qualms about crossing a few ethical lines to get it.

"Well, your house _is_ notorious for being evil…" Sirius began, but quickly shut up when he sensed Victoria's temper rising. "Alright, why don't you tell me a story?"

It was their tradition. Whenever they spent a night together, Victoria would tell Sirius a muggle story. Sometimes, she would recall a Shakespearean play to him, other times, she stuck to fairy tales. Because of her father's book store, Victoria had grown up surrounded by stories.

Now, she loved sharing that part of her life with Sirius, who always showed so much enthusiasm with anything muggle related. Taking a deep breath, Victoria began.

" _Once upon a time, there was a king. The king constantly feared for his life for he had many enemies. So, he encaged his life in a parrot. After that, it became almost impossible to kill him._

 _An arrow would pierce his flesh and bone, yet he will not die. A bullet could lodge in his body, and yet he will live a healthy life. It wasn't until one of his enemies discovered, that to kill the king, one had to kill the parrot, that the king met his demise."_

"You see the moral of the story is attachment." Victoria went on, "when the king encaged his life in the parrot, he essentially became a slave to that parrot. Like the king, we too encage our lives to material possessions or beings. Sometimes, to our family or a lover. Or even power.

These attachments…they keep us stuck to this world…making it difficult for us to let go of life, and achieve Nirvana."

"That was very spiritual." Sirius beamed at Victoria. He raised himself on an elbow and stared at Victoria for a while before asking, "So…what's keeping _you_ attached to this world?"

Victoria didn't have to think about the answer. She already knew it. "My attachment…they're not even aware of my existence anymore. So," she sighed heavily, "I suppose, nothing is keeping me attached, really." Even as she said so, a part of her knew it wasn't true. Whether Sirius was relieved or disappointed with her answer, she couldn't tell.


	5. Chapter 5: A Game of Quidditch

Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own Harry Potter, otherwise I'd be a billionaire. The characters belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 5

It was Saturday morning, and the Great Hall was booming with excitement. As the first of the snow fell on the ground, it gave way to Quidditch season. Today, the first game of Quidditch was taking place: Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw. If the Eagles won, they bump up to second position in the championship, bringing Gryffindors down to second place with them. The result would have Slytherine in lead.

This match was just as important for Victoria as it was for Potter and Stebbins, the Ravenclaw captain. As Victoria took a seat next to Snape on the high bleachers, she spotted the fifteen Quidditch players walk on to field from the change rooms. As the cheers died down, the captains shook hands, and after a loud screeching whistle from the referee, they were off in the air.

A large scarlet banner sporting a gold lion flashed high in the bleachers across from where Victoria sat.

Half and hour later, Gryffindor were in the lead by 30 points. Frustrated, Victoria banged her fist against the bench.

"Gryffindors take the Quaffle," the Hufflepuff commentator, Johnson, screamed enthusiastically into his mic, "Chaser Adam McMillan, ooh saved by the second as he dives around the Bludger flying at him – and he's speeding off toward the goal posts - but he's blocked by a second Bludger – he passes the Quaffle to Marlene- who I hear he's going steady with these days-

After receiving a particularly dirty look from Professor McGonagall, Johnson continued, "looks like the field is clear for Marlene – where are the Ravenclaws? She's soaring high—dodging Shafiq – and GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

The Gryffindor crowd erupted into deafening cheers, as Potter patted a flushed Marlene on her back. Victoria cursed inwardly. Besides her, Snape was muttering under his breath. If there was one person who despised Potter more than her, it was perhaps Snape. Now up 60 points, it didn't matter, even if the Gryffindor Seeker didn't catch the Golden Snitch, the Lions would still win.

"And Clearwater's in possession of the Quaffle, a smooth pass to Aubrey- whose marks are higher than the goal posts - back to Clearwater-and—oh oh , the Gryffindors have taken the Quaffle once again, Gryffindor Captain James Potter catches the Quaffle and off he goes - flying in a blur like a falcon - he's going to sc-

Johnson gasped into his mic, as a collective hush fell over the seven hundred students and ten teachers on the pitch. An eerie silence had fallen across the Quidditch stadium. Victoria watched, horrified, as Potter fell off at least forty feet. Instead of throwing the Quaffle through the goal post, he'd gone stiff on his broom right before the Quaffle slipped through his fingers, and he had followed its descent. But whereas the Quaffle had been saved by an eager Ravenclaw chaser, no one had caught Potter as he fell lower and lower onto solid earth.

A moment later, as everyone realized what had happened, students rushed down to the pitch. The players flew down and came off their brooms. Victoria managed to weave through students and reach the ground where a limp Potter was lying. Had he died? No, wizards couldn't die of simply…falling. Right?

"JAMES!" Victoria looked up to see a flash of red coming her way. Lily Evans threw herself on the ground besides James' body and tried to shake him awake. Her face was streaked with tears. A second later, she was joined by the Marauders. Professor McGonagall tried to make her way through the students. She seemed even more upset than Evans, at the deadly sight of her star player.

"He was cursed," McGonagall said in a hushed voice. She conjured a stretcher out of thin air and strapped James onto it. "Quickly, I must take him to the hospital wing." Evans, Lupin and Pettirgrew followed McGonagall, but the rest of the students remained still.

"Any guesses as who could have cursed him?" Yelled McMillan. He turned around to face Victoria as he said, "Let's see...who could benefit from this the most?"

Victoria looked around desperately as her school mates whispered in hushed tones, while throwing scathing looks at her. One gaze in particular, got her attention. A set of piercing grey eyes were staring at her. Usually full of mirth and mischief, Sirius' beautiful eyes were now full of accusation and anger. After throwing one last disgusted look at her, Sirius followed in McGonagall's direction. Victoria tried to follow him, but the students wouldn't let her leave.

Furious, she pushed a girl aside, and jogged her way to the figure retrieving into the castle.

"Sirius, wait," she pleaded as she reached him. He stopped and turned around so fast, Victoria stumbled backwards and nearly fell.

"WHAT?"

"I…you don't believe I did that…do you?" Victoria asked. "I would never-

"Maybe you did or maybe you didn't. Or _maybe_ somebody else did, and you knew about it and didn't do anything." Sirius sighed. "What matters is my best mate is seriously injured. And there's a possibility, you may have something to do with it. But let's just get one thing clear: There is no situation, in which I would ever, _ever_ choose _you_ over him." With that he turned, and walked away.

Victoria stood there, staring after him. She brushed the silent tears that had welled up in her eyes, and flown down her cheeks.

* * *

Victoria walked into the Slytherine Common Room, and entered a full blown party. There was heavy and loud music pouring in from the stereo, and merry chatter lighted up the otherwise dark dungeons. Students were passing around finger sandwiches and bottles of firewhiskey. She stopped dead in her tracks, and grabbed a fifth year girl walking past her, by the elbow.

"What is happening here?" Victoria demanded.

"We're celebrating." The girl replied easily. When Victoria continued to stare at her, she started, "Gryffindor lost, now we're in lead."

"Gryffindor lost?" Victoria asked lamely. She had been so upset after her confrontation with Sirius, that she hadn't gone back to the stadium for the match outcome.

"Aha. After Potter dropped, French took his place. It's clear why he didn't make the first round. He was awful. Plus, the Gryffindors were so upset, they lost all concentration." Victoria let the chatty girl go, as a girlfriend beckoned her from the fireplace. Out of the corner of her eye, Victoria spotted a group of laughing Slytherine boys. Turning, she found Avery at the center of the group, recounting a story.

"It was just the perfect moment. Everyone was so caught up in the game, nobody noticed me whipping out my wand." She heard him say.

"You know, it's a difficult curse. Not everyone could do it." Avery boasted proudly to his eager audience. So he'd cursed Potter. Out of revenge, Victoria suspected. It wasn't about Quidditch. But it sure made it look like it.

"Avery!" Victoria yelled his name. The chatter died away quickly as everyone looked back and forth between a furious Victoria and a proud Avery. She was so mad, she wanted to punch him. Instead, she pulled out her wand and yelled, "Incarcerous!"

Thin cords conjured from thin air and bound around Avery's body. He struggled to free himself, but Victoria's wand held him captive. The students in the Common Room gasped at her harsh behaviour. Although, jinxes and hexes weren't a new thing at school, they certainly were for Victoria.

"How. Dare. You!" She said evenly as she stalked toward her victim. "Cursing Potter on an open field-in the middle of the fucking _match_!" She continued as Avery pulled at the chords binding his neck.

"I-don't-care…about bloo-dy Quidditch," Avery managed to say. "I only, argh, wanted to-get-back-at him."

"HOW FUCKING THICK ARE YOU?" Victoria roared angrily. "You think anybody is going to buy that? They'll all think _I_ put you up to this!" Victoria put her hands in her hair and sighed heavily. She took a few deep breaths.

"You're off the team." She informed Avery. Avery's eyes widened in horror.

"Vicky, how are we gonna find a new chaser on such short notice? Our game is in a few weeks." Greengrass said.

"I don't bloody care." She turned around to the rest of the Common Room and announced, "there's a vacancy for a chaser on the Slytherine team. Try outs are tomorrow at 8AM." She undid her curse on Avery, and he dropped to the floor, panting for air. Then, she opened the Common Room door with a bang, and left.

* * *

Author's Note: Please review, i really look forward to hearing from you guys. What you think of the story so far, what you'd like to see, and what you think i could have done better. thanks

x


	6. Chapter 6: A Sinister Calling

Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own Harry Potter, otherwise I'd be a billionaire. The characters belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 6

It had been a week since Avery had attacked Potter. Friday morning, Potter finally came back to classes to loud cheers and applause. Victoria watched him warp his arm around Evans' waist as they exited the Great Hall after dinner. He whispered sweet nothings in her hear that made her smile shyly up at him. Victoria wanted to puke.

For the past couple of years, Hogwarts had watched Potter make a fool of himself in an attempt to impress Evans, only to be rejected by her-much to the school's amusement. Now that they were a couple, Victoria had hoped she would no longer have to witness Potter's sad puppy love. Except, now she was forced to watch their young love bloom before her eyes. _Honestly!_ She had expected better from the smartest girl in her year.

Victoria was broken out of her negative connotations when someone bumped into her side. Cursing inwardly, she watched Sirius follow the throng of students leaving the Hall without so much as a glance in her direction. Victoria was done trying to convince him she had nothing to do with Potter's attack. If he wanted to be an arse, she wasn't going to go after him.

* * *

Later that night, Victoria was preparing for bed and putting on her pajamas, she felt something in her school robes. With her left hand, she fished out an elegant black envelope. It was made of plush velvety material that felt sating smooth in her finger. It was sealed with silver wax, and stamped with the indentation of a skull that had a serpent coming out of his mouth: The Dark Mark. Victoria dropped the envelope, and quickly bent down to retrieve it before her roommates could see. She knew what this was. She had heard rumors. She was being recruited.

"Fuck!" She was so screwed. What would happen if just ignored the invitation? Would they move on? Or would they kill her for daring to reject the calling of the Dark Lord?

"Are you alright?" Rowena, one of Victoria's roommates, asked.

"What? Yeah, I am fine."

"You are not breathing…"

"Better go get some fresh air then. This dungeon, sometimes it makes it hard to breath. Ha ha." _Okay you are talking too much. Just get the hell out of here!_ Taking too steps at a time, Victoria ascended the Slytherine common room and headed for the Entrance Hall.

Victoria came to an abrupt stop when she noticed the hooded figures in the Entrance Hall. She hadn't noticed them before as they were hidden behind the stairwell.

"There you are! We have been waiting for you." Regulus approached her enthusiastically. The wide grin on his face and the spring in his step reminded Victoria of they way her brother, Collin, had been the morning before they left for Disneyland. Except Regulus was headed for something far more sinister.

"You were recruited? So was I." In his excitement, Regulus didn't register the fearful look on Victoria's face. "What do you think he's like? I have neve seen him, you know. Mom and Dad are going to be so happy. I wonder if Bella is going to be there. I bet she referred me to him." Was a there a mute button on this boy, seriously. He was acting like he'd been recruited by Santa Claus, and not an evil dictator.

"Come on, you two." Snapped a voice Victoria did not recognize. "The Dark Lord doesn't have all night." The faceless man led the group out of the castle and towards the winding path to Hogsmeade. Victoria pulled her black cloak tightly around her waist as the chill of the winter air seeped into her bones. One of their companions held out his hand in front of Victoria, stopping her abruptly. Regulus who had continued walking joyfully down the descending road, crashed into Victoria's back, sending both hurling towards earth.

"Oouf"

"I told you these _idiots_ wouldn't do," a familiar voice above Victoria said cryptically, who Victoria realized belonged to her classmate, Severus Snape.

"And _I_ told _you_ the Dark Lord ordered me to bring them in. I didn't choose them." Their leader replied. His frustrated tone implied this wasn't the first time he was having this conversation with Snape. _How the hell did the Dark Lord know of Victoria?_ _More importantly, what could he want from a muggleborn?_ Then Victoria realized, Voldemort, like her classmates probably though Victoria was a half-blood. And there were plenty of half-blood Death Eaters. _Death Eater!_ _Why on earth was she debating her chances of qualifying to become a Death Eater?_

"Snape, you'll take the girl with you, and the boy will apparate with me." The leader tilted his head toward Victoria and she finally got a glimpse of his face. Victoria suppressed a scream as she realized she was standing before Antonin Dolohov, one of cruelest supporter of Voldemort. He had tortured so many muggles and muggle-borns that the bounty on his head was almost as high as Bellatrix.

Snape reluctantly held out his right arm, clad in tight black sleeves that peeked out from under his black cloak, to Victoria, who gingerly placed shaking fingers on it. She felt a tug behind her navel and the world shifted upside down, reminding her of he roller coaster rides in Disneyland. Victoria landed clumsily on wet grass, and it took her a minute to wrap her head around her new location. She was still disoriented from her travels. After taking a few breaths to calm her beating heart, Victoria followed Dolohov, Snape and Regulus around hedges leading to a wide driveway. It was dark, but Victoria took a sharp breath when the magnificent stone manor came into view. The moonlight bounced off the rooftops of the Victorian manor, which was covered in a thick layer of snow. The expansive lawns on either side of the driveway were bordered by large trees that had been covered with beige tarp to protect them from winter damage.

"Old money," Victoria muttered under her breath, breaking the silence of the eerie night. She watched the puff of condensation that left her mouth as she spoke.

"This is my cousin's manor," Regulus whispered excitedly into Victoria's ear.

"Bellatrix?"

"No, no. Her sister, Narcissa. You know? The one married to Lucius Malfoy, very blonde."

"Right." They had reached the front doors of the manor. Victoria looked up and realized the French double doors were almost as high as the doors to Hogwarts. Taking another deep breath, Victoria squared her shoulders and entered the impressive establishment with head held high.

* * *

Sorry it took me so long to upload a new chapter.

Next chapter coming in soon as well. So stay tuned for that.

x


	7. Chapter 7: A Muggle's Daughter

Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own Harry Potter, otherwise I'd be a billionaire. The characters belong to JK Rowling.

For keeping you waiting, i have written you a much longer chapter

x

Chapter 7

Victoria entered a dimly lit hallway. Large, antique portraits decorated both walls of the hallway. She had a sudden urge to take of her shoes, and walk bare-feet on the plush, deep blue carpet. Lost in her thoughts, Victoria didn't realize she was now in a new room. Looking up, she found herself looking down a long, oak table. There were no windows; instead the stone walls seemed to glow in the faint light emanating from the fireplace.

A shadow moved at the head of the table, catching Victoria's attention. A pale hand, with thin, long fingers beckoned Dolohov to take a seat. The top of its hairless head gleamed in the orange firelight. A pair of ruby red eyes roamed her face, then Regulus'.

"Why don't you introduce us to your friends, Severus?" a high-pitched voice came from the pale figure's thin mouth. Suddenly, Victoria felt very cold. Was this what it was like to be in a dementor's presence?

"My Lord, this is Regulus Black, son of Orion." Snape obliged his Lord's order, introducing his companions. Then, with a disappointed look in her direction, Snape continued, "and this, is Victoria McNealy."

"Daughter of a muggle," Voldemort completed her introduction. The word "muggle" had caused a sharp intake of breath in the room's remaining audience. Bellatrix, seated on the chair to Voldemort's immediate right, hissed at her, and drew her wand.

"Now, now Bella," Voldemort discouraged her with the flick of his hand. "Gave Victoria a chance." He got up from his seat, and slithered to the front of the room, where Victoria and Regulus were standing.

"I am sure Mr. Black and Victoria would make excellent additions to my organization." Victoria couldn't help but notice Voldemort called her by her first name, to avoid sullying his tongue with a muggle's name; whereas he called Regulus, Mr. Black.

Walking behind them, he put one cold hand on Regulus's right shoulder, and the other on Victoria's left shoulder. Victoria felt her life being sucked out her, vacuumed into the thin, long fingers. Even Regulus seemed to have shut up; his grey eyes wide with fear rather than excitement.

"Mr. Black," Voldemort's high voice echoed in the large room, "is the heir to his noble and ancient house. I have no doubt his superior magic and familial connections will prove beneficial to my cause."

"And Victoria, while sired by a muggle, like Severus here, has inherited none of his filthy traits." Voldemort explained to the unimpressed crowd.

"She is not worthy, my Lord." Bellatrix's throaty voice snapped from her corner.

" _I_ chose her, Bella. Are you doubting my judgement?"

"No, no, my excellent Lord." Bellatrix shook her bowed head profusely, and pursed her red lips.

"Victoria, you are at the top of your house. And its Quidditch captain. Quite formidable too. I hear you are unforgivable to those who dare defy you. Is that true?" He now stood before Victoria. Staring down at her expressionless face through his bloody eyes.

Victoria felt as if he was reading every single one of her thoughts. Any minute now, he'll figure out her big secret and kill her with the flick of his wand. Or maybe he wouldn't want to waste anytime on a mudblood, and leave her to Bellatrix's cruelty.

"He resisted my authority," feigning confidence, Victoria looked the Dark Lord straight in his eyes. "So, I dispensed of him". So, this was why she'd been recruited. One of his spies at Hogwarts must have told him about what Victoria did to Avery. Something like a smile appeared on Voldemort's face, stretching the translucent skin over hard bones. He then gestured towards two empty, adjacent chairs towards the end of the table, silently ordering the newest additions of the group to take their seats.

The meeting continued, but Victoria was on survival mode. Surrounded by people who hated her kind, deemed them inhuman, and wouldn't hesitate to kill her on spot. Her eyes kept darting to Bellatrix, who seemed to hate her the most. How could she possibly be related to Sirius and Regulus? Provided Regulus had a superiority complex, and Sirius could be a real arse at times, they were still warm, friendly and empathetic.

At last she rose from her seat as everybody else did too. They bowed their heads before exiting the room. She followed. Within an hour, she was back at Hogwarts. An almost-full moon peeked behind clouds, casting monstrous shadows on the castle grounds. She followed Snape and an unusually quiet Regulus towards the dungeons. No doubt, Regulus was just as terrified as her. They would meet in the morning and discuss possible ways of getting out of joining a bigoted organization.

"I am going to the loo," she suddenly had an idea.

"But there are bathrooms in the dorms." Regulus pointed out, tiredly.

"Right. I um don't want to disturb my dormmates."

"Okay, see you at breakfast." And with that, Victoria ran towards the Entrance Hall again. But as she reached the grand, marble staircase, an arm snaked around her waist, pulling her behind the staircase. She opened her mouth to scream, but another hand reached up to cover it. She struggled with her captor, trying to reach the wand in her robe pocket.

"Shh, it's me." A familiar deep voice whispered in her ear. Instantly, she stopped wiggling and sagged against Sirius in relief. Turning around, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly to herself.

"Where have you been?" his voice was laced with unmistakable worry. "You weren't in the castle."

"Oh, my God, Sirius. I was…wait how did you know I wasn't in the castle?" she narrowed her eyes up at him, suspiciously. "Come to think of it, you _always_ seem to know where I am. Do you have a bug on me or something?"

"A what?"

"A bug. You know the ones spies use." When he continued looking at her in confusion, Victoria realized wizard spies probably didn't use electronic devices on their enemies.

"I thought you hated death eaters. Passionately!" Harry couldn't help the accusatory tone in his voice as he turned to his godfather.

"She is not a death eater." Sirius replied defensively.

"Yet," quipped Remus from beside him, earning a dirty look from Sirius. Remus just shrugged his thin shoulders.

Back on the screen, Harry watched, in disgust, as the younger version of his godfather flopped on a bed beside Victoria.

Victoria told Sirius what had happened. "He wants me join him, Sirius. What will I do?" Victoria wondered if her voice sounded as whiny to Sirius as it did to her.

"And Regulus," Sirius was staring at the ornate mantle piece across from where they sat. "You know, he asked James to join him too."

"He did?" Victoria was shocked. She hadn't known this. But then again, Sirius rarely discussed his friends' lives with her.

"Yeah. But James refused. You can too."

"No, Sirius I can't. He'll kill me."

"Don't be so dramatic. James refused him a month ago, and he's fine."

"James doesn't live with a bunch of death eaters. Or children of death eaters. Or future death eaters. _I_ do." Frustrated, Victoria lay down on the soft bed and concentrated on the faint cracks in the ceiling.

"Okay, I get your point." Sirius laid down beside her, his earlier anger with her forgotten.

"James isn't fine." Victoria said after a while.

"What?" Sirius looked at her sideways.

"You said James was fine. But he was attacked by Avery."

"You think Avery attacked him on Voldemort's orders."

"No, he just hates James."

"Then what's your point?"

"That James isn't fine." Victoria said, as if it was the most obvious thing. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Why do you always have to be right? It's annoying, you know? No one's going to put up with it."

"You do." She smiled at him. Balancing on one arm, she hovered above him. His eyes, usually grey, shone a riveting shade of blue tonight. She traced his jaw line, slightly rough with a stubble, as she spoke, "Not only do you put up with me, she continued in a low, husky voice, "you can't stay away from me and my annoying habits." The next second, Victoria found herself looking _up_ at him, as he had flipped her over, and now lay on top of her.

Sirius put his hands on either side of Victoria's face, and leaned down to kiss her full lips. They were soft, as always. At first, she pretended to resist, but soon she was kissing him back. He held both of her hands in his left hand above her head, and cupped her jaw with his right. When she gasped, he took advantage and invaded her hot mouth with his tongue. He traced the roof of her mouth with the tip of his tongue, and she broke out into giggles.

"Not that I mind making you laugh, but it's never a good sign when a girl you're fooling around starts giggling." Embarrassed, Sirius got off Victoria, and lay down on his back. He folded his hands on his belly and looked up moodily at the ceiling.

"Oh, come on." Still laughing, Victoria peppered Sirius' jaw with kisses. "I wasn't laughing at your snogging abilities. You just made me tickle."

"I was going for sexy," Sirius replied grumpily.

"It was very sexy." Victoria folded her arms over Sirius' chest and balanced her chin on her folded hands. "Now tell me, how are you always aware of my whereabouts?"

Sirius stared at her for a while, seeming to consider his options. Then he got up suddenly, and retrieved a piece of parchment from his pocket. He unfolded the large, clear, parchment and spread it over the bed. Victoria watched him silently with a puzzling expression on her face. Then, he tapped the centre of the unassuming parchment with his wand and muttered, " _I solemnly swear I am up to no good"_.

No sooner had he said the words that thin spidery, black lines appeared on the paper before her. It looked like a blueprint of a large building. Victoria gasped when she realized it was a very impressive map of Hogwarts. She found a tiny dot named "Regulus A. Black" sleeping in the last of the Slytherine boys' dormitory. And another named "Catherine Levine", the Ravenclaw keeper, sleeping in the Ravenclaw tower. Amazed, she searched for the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, but didn't find herself or Sirius on the map.

"How come we are not there?"

"Well we didn't know about this room when we designed the map," Sirius explained.

"We?"

"Prongs, Moony and Wormtail."

" _You_ made this?" She knew the Marauders were an intelligent bunch, but this was beyond anything she could have imagined. "Sirius, that's amazing."

"Well, I had help," he gave an arrogant tilt to his chin, before giving her a mischievous grin.


End file.
